The Chairperson’s Hello for December 2021 and January 2021, by Louise Reeve (Chairperson, and I also bake cakes from time to time)

Recently our Reading Group looked at the Danish concept of ‘hygge’. Hygge is hard to translate exactly into English, but the closest we can get is probably: “…creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people. The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Cosying up with a loved one for a movie – that’s hygge, too. And there’s nothing more hygge than sitting around with close friends and family, discussing the big and small things in life.”[1]

As winter approaches, perhaps the best way to manage this odd time is to find whatever small pleasures we can, and enjoy them as much as possible. Certainly an evening ramble around the streets of Heaton indicates that a lot of people decided to fend off the darkness and gloom by dressing their houses up in Christmas decorations and getting the sparkly lights out. And we might not be able to sit around in person with all of our friends and family, but we can always make a hot chocolate and Zoom. Not quite the same… but a lot better than nothing.

We enjoyed our traditional Toy Service, Christmas Miscellany and Carol Service this year, although they were a little different since we’re meeting virtually at present. For the Toy Service, we asked people to donate funds rather than collecting actual toys. We also had teddy bears – or another favourite childhood toy – with us during the service!

Looking to the future, it will probably be Spring 2021 before we can return to meeting in person, given the twin constraints of coronavirus restrictions and the temperature inside our building. Please be assured that we’ll start meeting in person for worship again as soon as we safely can.

Recently I attended the series of Congregational Strategy workshops organised by the national Unitarian movement and hosted by Prof. John Bates, who is the Chair of New Unity congregation in London, and a Fellow of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. It was a really thorough series of discussions about how to identify where a congregation wants to go next, what resources it has, and how to get from where you are to where you want to be. My intention is that in the New Year, we’ll use the approach presented in this workshop to help us plan what we want to do over the next few years, and everyone will be invited to have their say.

Finally, I’m continuing sending letters with highlights from our Sunday services to anyone unable to (or who prefers not to) join us for virtual worship and socialising, which is currently taking place via Zoom. If you’d like to be sent one of these letters, please call on: 07506 255 731. If anyone needs support to go online, the national Unitarian movement has let us know that: “IT company Netserve Ltd. have volunteered their time and provided a dedicated phoneline for Unitarians who need help to get online from a trusted partner. To access support you can ring: 0203 728 8415 or email them at: theteam@netserve.support”.

As always, we continue to have our weekly Sunday socials, Monday pub quiz, and monthly reading group. Diana Bebby continues to do an excellent job editing the Calendar and putting together the regular Uplift newsletter to cheer everyone up in lockdown. If you’re not receiving the Uplift and would like to, please email or call us and let us know.

As ever, my thoughts are with everyone and I hope that you and your families and loved ones are well – and if not, I hope you are finding the love and support you need. If Newcastle upon Tyne Unitarians can help, you can email us at: info@newcastleunitarians.org.uk, ring: 07506 255 731, or write to us at: Newcastle upon Tyne Unitarians, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8XG. We are keeping an eye on the building and your letter will be collected.  

Finally, we are here for all our members and will support everyone as best we can! Please do let me know what works best for you. Love and festive blessings,

Louise Reeve, Chairperson, Newcastle upon Tyne Unitarians

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[1] From: https://www.visitdenmark.com/denmark/highlights/hygge/what-hygge